But Johnson said he wouldn’t have heard about it at all had his manager, Bob Cook of American Kickboxing Academy, didn’t feel the same.

“Pray for me that I come out of this one OK,” Johnson joked to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Johnson steps in for an injured Mark Hunt (8-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at the May 26 event, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight serves on the pay-per-view main card following preliminary-card fights on FX and Facebook.

With a laugh, Johnson acknowledged the reality of the heavyweight bout, which could prove to be his toughest yet. At 24 years old, Struve has a half-dozen more fights on his resume than the 34-year-old Johnson.

More concerning, the Dutch fighter has 15 submissions to his credit. Three of Johnson’s five losses come by way of choke or joint lock. Struve has the reputation of a comeback artist, a fighter who sometimes takes serious punishment before turning the tables.

Johnson is a fan of Struve, but knows that fighting the man is a daunting task.

“I always seen him in there getting the crap beaten out of him and he finds a way to win,” Johnson said of his new opponent. “He’s a tough guy and very durable.

“It’s not going to be a cake walk. But I’m up for the challenge to see where I’m at.”

Johnson pulled off his own come-from-behind win just three weeks ago when he stopped Pat Barry with heavy punches just moments after Barry put him in danger of submission. The performance won him “Knockout of the Night” honors, his second such award following a knockout of Joey Beltran at UFC on FOX 2 in his octagon debut.

Not too long ago, Johnson was enjoying something of a vacation. But on Monday, he resumed two-a-day training sessions, and the timing appears to have been perfect.

“It’s my job to fight, and I just thank the UFC for giving me this opportunity,” he said.

And Johnson’s new outlook on fighting, which he credits for his turnaround following back-to-back losses in Strikeforce, could serve him well against his fellow comeback artist.

“We’re working more on speed than just trying to grind stuff out,” Johnson said. “I think I was trying to be a little too technical, and I was letting guys get off. We went back to the old me, just getting in there and making it a dog fight.”

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